A scrapbook album is a collection of scrapbook pages, each of which is a unique collection of at least photographs, paper crafts, and journaling. In general, each scrapbook page or a group of pages are based on a theme, and all of the components that make up that page(s) are in context with the theme. For example, a scrapbook page having a “holiday” theme would comprise photographs taken during that particular holiday, and paper craft depicting the holiday, for instance, a valentine heart cut out of red construction paper or a purchased die cut. In addition, the person making the scrapbook page would record information about the holiday, including who was shown in the photographs on the page(s) in the form of journaling. All of the components of a scrapbook page are arranged in an aesthetically pleasing manner which best depicts the essence of the theme. The components are typically glued in place, and the assembled scrapbook page is inserted into a scrapbook album. A purpose of making a scrapbook page versus simply placing photographs in a standard photo album is to create a unique, personalized family heirloom which tells a story and will be cherished for a lifetime, and which will perhaps be passed on to a next generation. The task of creating a scrapbook page provides benefit to those participating in the craft as well as the recipient of the completed scrapbook album.
Novice scrapbookers often look to others for inspiration when organizing a new page layout. Experienced scrapbookers will share their scrapbook page layouts for creative inspiration, and because they are a source of pride for the creator. Scrapbook magazines show themed page layouts with a description on how to assembly a page, and the materials needed to get the desired results.
The scrapbook business has grown over the past several years. Today, there are scrapbook specialty stores, magazines devoted to the craft, and a plurality of websites offering on-line merchandise sales and creative tips. The type of merchandise available for this craft segment has grown substantially. Today, a person can purchase scrapbook specialty items including scissors to cut a variety of patterns, pre-printed patterned paper, paper in all colors of the rainbow, specialty pens, and specialty adhesives. However, on the other hand, the type of still photograph included in a scrapbook has gone relatively unchanged over 100 years.
With the advent of digital imaging, still photographs can take on whole new look. Even if the original photograph was captured using an analog camera, the photograph can be scanned to create a digital copy of the original photograph. Once a photograph is in digital form, using digital editing techniques, a person can create distinctive looking composite images from the same or different photographs. The avid scrapbooker is continually looking for new ways to make a scrapbook page layout, the latest technique to use, or a new product to try in their scrapbook. However, most of the present methods used by scrapbookers are fairly complex and use only a single image of the same scene.
A kaleidoscope is a small tube in which mirrors reflect light transmitted through bits of loose colored glass contained at one end, causing them to appear as symmetrical designs when viewed at the other end. Children and adults enjoy the images produced using a kaleidoscope. Scrapbookers have tried to create images similar to those produced by a kaleidoscope, hereinafter referred to as a kaleidoscope image, using their personal images. First a reverse negative is made from an original image or negative, then multiple photographic prints are required from the reverse negative as well as from the original image. Next, the same image area in the form of a triangle is cropped out of each print to form a kaleidoscope segment. The kaleidoscope segments are arranged such that every other segment is one from the original image. The number of kaleidoscope segments desired determine the angles of the triangle, and the angles of the triangle have to be exact in order for the segments to fit together properly. This is not an easy task for scrapbookers, but the result is appealing, and resembles the effect viewed through a traditional kaleidoscope.
Attempts have been made to create kaleidoscope images using a computer and image editing software. For instance, QX3 Special Effects Interactive software provides a filter to produce “beautiful images that resemble patterns commonly seen in reflecting/refracting kaleidoscopes”. Ulead photoImpact 5 or Ulead Photo Express V4.0 is image modifying software which provides a kaleidoscope filter to generate a patterned image.
While such software programs may provide a kaleidoscope-type image, the software programs are not suitable for use by a scrapbooker. The software programs are expensive and complex and therefore intended for use of an image specialist, for example, in creating web pages or doing special effects for videos and movies.
In addition, the software programs do not produce a kaleidoscope image desired by a scrapbooker. A scrapbooker is interested in producing an aesthetically pleasing image which focuses on and promotes the subject of the image, while the software programs disclosed above provide patterning for special effects.
Still further, the software programs disclosed above do not provide immediate, simultaneous feedback to the scrapbooker as to how the kaleidoscope image would be formed/produced.
Yet further, while a user may be able to create a kaleidoscope-type image on their home computer using one of the above mentioned software programs, the print created on their home printer, typically an inkjet printer, may not have the archival properties and quality desired by a scrapbooker. For example, the printed image may not be acid free, a characteristic desired by scrapbookers for long term archival.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method of constructing a kaleidoscope image which usable in a scrapbook. The method needs to be low cost, easy to use, accessible for the sporadic, intermittent use of scrapbookers, and produce a high quality, archival print.
It is an advantage of the present invention that scrapbookers can provide at least one image and receive a kaleidoscope image made from a portion of the at least one image, and the kaleidoscope image can be fixed to a page to provide an aesthetically pleasing scrapbook page. It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a simple, low cost method, which permits a scrapbooker to construct a kaleidoscope visual image derived from a scrapbooker-provided image which can be printed on a high quality, archival medium.